Azerbaijan celebrates National Flag Day

Today, Azerbaijan is celebrating National Flag Day for the first time.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed an order to declare Nov. 9 as National Flag Day on Nov. 17, 2009. The Azerbaijani Democratic Republic, which existed until 1920, adopted the Azerbaijani tricolor as the national flag of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic on Nov. 9, 1918.

After gaining independence in 1991, the Supreme Council of the Azerbaijan Republic announced a tricolor flag with a star and a crescent as the national flag of Azerbaijan on Feb. 5, 1991.

The government made amendments to Article 105 of the Labor Code on State Flag Day in November 2009. Under the changes, Azerbaijan declared Nov. 9 as a legal holiday. The law "On the State Flag of the Azerbaijan Republic" provides a detailed description. The state flag is a symbol of Azerbaijani national sovereignty.

The state flag of Azerbaijan represents a rectangular panel consisting of three equal horizontal bands colored blue, red, and green, with a white crescent and an eight-pointed star are centered in the red band. The ratio of the flag's width to its length is 1:2. National Flag Square was also inaugurated with Aliyev's participation in Baku on Sept. 1. Aliyev signed an order on the establishment of National Flag Square in Baku on Nov. 17, 2007. All of the necessary infrastructure has been created over an area of 60 hectares.

The national flag with a 162 meter-high flagpole measures 70 meters high and 35 meters wide and weighs 350 kilograms. The total weight of the construction is 220 tons. The flag's total area is 2,450 square meters with a weight of about 350 kilograms.

The National Flag Museum was also established in the area upon Aliyev's initiative.